Hogan comes out strong over Brown in third and final debate before Maryland gubernatorial election

Governor hopeful Larry Hogan appeared to have lieutenant governor and fellow candidate Anthony Brown over the ropes during last night’s debate on WBAL-TV.

Hogan kept pointing to Brown’s track record as Lieutenant Governor of the O’Malley administration while attempting to cast his candidacy as a continuation of the past eight years.

Hogan tried to prioritize spending on highway funds when the candidates talked about the billions of transportation funding Brown is in support of like the west side Red Line project in Baltimore. Hogan pointed to the draining of the transportation trust fund and the resulting tax increases imposed by the O’Malley administration to help fund highway projects.

Hogan said that many of the tax increases which number over 30 in the past eight years of the O’Malley administration have hurt the middle class. Brown fought back and said that Hogan would cut school construction, with Brown himself not outlining how he would pay for it.

Hogan said he would work together with Democrats in the house to solve the issues facing the state’s budget and serve as a check and balance against the party’s stronghold in Annapolis.

Hogan went after Brown on his health care exchange implementation that is under federal criminal investigation for the waste of over $288 million in taxpayer dollars. Brown retorted that more and more Marylanders are enrolling every month.

Voters will decide who becomes the next governor of Maryland November 4 from 7am until 8pm with early voting starting Thursday October 23 through Thursday October 30.